Friday, July 23, 2010

This morning when my mom and I arrived at the hospital, Robert had Vivian sitting in her stroller in the lobby. Vivian was watching one of her favorite episodes of Dora the Explorer on Robert's phone and was convulsed in giggles at the funny parts. I was absolutely elated to see Vivian smiling and laughing again!

After spending several hours in her stroller, Vivian slept most of the afternoon. Whenever her nurse Ezy would approach to give Vivian medicine or take her vital signs, Vivian would bark, "Hey! You're waking me up!" and then immediately go back to sleep. Vivian was so calm today that we didn't have to restrain her arms, and I think that helped her to sleep well.

Had today not been a Friday we likely would have been discharged from the hospital as Vivian's medical needs at this point are few. The ICU staff was hesitant to send us home over a weekend, though, in case any problems should arise, so Vivian's homecoming is set for Monday. We are so excited!

Praise God that Vivian's withdrawal symptoms are virtually gone. Thank Him that Vivian has been eating and swallowing well and that she seems so much more comfortable. Pray for Vivian's strength and balance to return quickly as she has not been on her feet much over the past 29 days. Pray that Vivian's transition home would be smooth and that Robert and I would have adequate help to keep her safe and meet her needs. Pray for Will and Dorothy as they adjust to having Vivian home again and recall what it is like to have parental supervision.

We appreciate each and every kind word, deed and prayer that has been offered on Vivian's behalf over the past month. I doubt that anyone has more thoughtful and generous friends and family than we do.

With great affection,
Eloise

"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim His salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise." Psalm 96:1-4

16 comments:

Your story is a continuous miracle in the making! I am smiling and tearing up at the same time as I realize God's tender hand on EVERY second of this ordeal. You and your husband have been so faithful...

Such a blessing and miracle to see Vivian smiling again! Thanks be to God!! Praying your family has a smooth transition back into your home life. Thank you again for sharing this personal journey. You and daddyman are amazing parents!Blessings!!xoxo

Vivian looks fantastic! I am so glad that you had an encouraging day and that you welcome her homecoming knowing that she is ready to end her stay in the hospital. We continue to pray for you all and follow along on this journey.

What a blessing! I've been keeping up with Vivian but not always commenting. You've all been in my {answered} prayers. What a wonderful gift to know that you'll be taking your daughter home in just a few short days. I hope you'll find some time to rest as I'm sure your body needs time to recuperate as well.

I can see the smile on your faces as you rejoice with the news of bringing Vivian home. She looks so wonderful - such a beautiful girl. So happy for all of you! God is so good. I did chuckle out loud when I read your comment about Will and Dot getting used to parental supervision again. (((Hugs))) ~Debbie K.

Love the part about "parental supervision". hehe - 29 Days. Wow, honey. I'm sorry that we couldn't have all been there physically with you, but I hope you felt our support and prayers. Of course, God was carrying and holding you both, and you can't beat that! You and your husband are such wonderful, devoted parents. Vivian is a lucky girl!! Hugs to everyone. xoxo

I have linked to your blog through my friend's, Tami R., and have been following Vivian's journey these last few weeks. It was such a joy to open your blog this morning and see her smiling face! Brought tears to my eyes! Praising God with you!Leslie Honcoop

Pictured above, starting in upper left and moving clockwise:

Married for 27 years to Robert, three kids: Will (23), Vivian (20) and Dots (17) ~~~~
Majored in mathematics at SMU, taught elementary school for six years before Will was born, currently tutoring math ~~~~
Things I enjoy: playing duplicate bridge, working NY Times crossword puzzles, reading good books, entertaining, visiting with friends, planning trips, traveling, playing board games, spending time with family, cooking, keeping up with old friends ~~~ happy to correspond with other parents about raising a child with special needs

Note about Pictures

I unintentionally contaminated all of the pictures on my blog when I changed my privacy settings on Flickr. I am working backwards to correct them all, but it is quite a tedious procedure! If you encounter a post with error messages from Flickr where the pictures should be, then I haven't gotten to that post yet. Please let me know and I will update it immediately. Thanks for your patience!